166 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



can, purloin them. The absence of whiskers from 

 the head of a tiger when stuffed, of course detracts 

 much from its beauty and natural appearance. 

 The best plan, therefore, is to pull out the whiskers 

 yourself as soon as you have shot your tiger, and 

 put them in your pocket. 



I was much impressed with the enormous 

 muscular development of a tiger on seeing this 

 one skinned but the stench was so awful that I 

 was ere long driven from the spot where the 

 operation was being carried on. Tiger fat is 

 highly prized by natives as an application for 

 rheumatism, etc., and they moreover eat pieces of 

 the liver, by doing which they think they will be 

 inspired with courage. 



There is a peculiar anatomical structure about a 

 tiger, and I believe in all the feline race, such as is 

 found in no other animals, viz., two small bones, 

 each about two and a half inches long, and about 

 an inch in circumference. They are separate, and 

 not connected with any other bone, being im- 

 bedded in the flesh of the chest, one on each side. 

 These bones are highly prized by natives as charms, 

 or amulets, and often fetch very high prices. 

 The possession of one by a woman who has never 

 borne children is considered to ensure pregnancy ! 

 Of course, though, it is only a superstition, but one 

 firmly believed in by natives. 



